Questions for: ‘The ‘Saddest’ Polar Bear Lives in a Mall in China’

Pizza, the polar bear featured in the video above, lives in a small enclosure in a mall in China.

Before you read the article, come up with at least one reason why animal welfare advocates might object to that — and then come up with at least one way the owners of the mall might defend themselves.

Questions for Comprehension and Analysis

1. What is this polar bear’s living space like? What other animals live in this mall?

2. Who have called on the governor of Guangdong Province to move him and close Grandview Polar Sea World? Why, according to them, is this part of a disturbing trend in China?

3. How has the the Grandview Mall aquarium defended itself?

4. What do polar bears need, according to Humane Society International?

5. What laws are there in China for the protection of animals?

6. What do you think this mall should do with the animals it houses? Why?

What Do You Think?

What other examples can you list of other ways in which the needs of animals are subverted for the needs of humans? Which of these do you consider ethical?

For instance, how do you feel about zoos? Where do you stand on hunting? Using animals for scientific research? Eating meat? Keeping animals as pets? What moral obligations do we have to animals, if any, in your opinion? Why?